Deadman Walking
by captaindynamite
Summary: The Undertaker was his persona, the only name those around him called him, the only name they knew him as. He loved it, at least he had until that fatal day when everything he held close just slipped through his fingers into the abyss that was his life.
1. Chapter 1

The Undertaker was his persona, the only name those around him called him, the only name they knew him as. It was a burden at times, but he loved it. At least he had until that fatal day when everything he held close just slipped through his fingers into the abyss that was his life.

_Three Days ago..._

The sun was setting in the Austin skyline as Mark Calaway pulled into his driveway in his rental car. He was only in Austin for a few days before he had to go the airport and fly away from his home once more for his career. It was heart wrenching most of the time, but he had adjusted slightly. The only thing that kept him going now was the idea of seeing his wife's beautiful face or hearing the soft laughter of his children in the background. It was a cheesy thought, especially for one that was supposed to be so far into the dark, but Mark knew his persona was completely different from the real him and that's how he preferred it.

Killing the engine, Mark gathered his bag from the passenger seat and climbed out of the car, stretching slightly. The drive wasn't one that was easy on his old bones but it was a drive he had to make whenever he got the chance. He locked the car and headed to the front door, digging in his pocket for the keys he had pulled from his bag earlier. He fumbled with the key before unlocking the front door. It was quiet as he shut the door, and walked further into the house. Sara knew he was coming home today so why wouldn't she be here?

Mark walked into the kitchen and put his bag down on the counter, spotting a piece of paper. A note. He picked it up and read over the words, his breath taken away with every single word.

_Mark,_

I know you were planning to come today, and I know I should have told you this face to face but I don't think I could bring myself to do that. I miss seeing you and the girls do as well. I can't put myself through the constant torture of watching you on TV getting hurt or worse. I'm sorry Mark, I really am but I can't take this anymore.

I've taken the girls and we're going to be living with my parents until I can afford a house on my own. I'm sorry but I had to do this.

Sara

Silence rang through the house as Mark read the letter over again and again, the words echoing in his head. He could almost hear her voice as she wrote them. The paper shook in his hands as he held it before letting it fall to the counter. He couldn't believe it. She had left him without a word, without any sign that something was going wrong. Mark turned and left the kitchen without a word, walking to his bedroom in a sort of trance. He sat upon the bed, head in his hands and stayed there as time passed, forgetting about everything else.

_Present day...._

Glenn Jacobs drove along the road heading for one destination, one that he hadn't been to in a long time. He stared at the road silently, his mind working over details. Mark as far as Glenn knew, was supposed to have met him at the airport at 8 so they could be ready for their flight at 10. Glenn had waited until 9:30 before realizing something was wrong. He had fought inwardly with himself over whether or not he should leave without Mark but realized that's not something a proper friend would do so he left the airport, not caring that no one else knew where he was going.

Pulling into the driveway, Glenn looked over at the rental car next to his as he killed the engine. It was definitely Mark's car. Glenn wondered what could possibly have happened. He knew Mark wouldn't ever jeopardize work unless something important had happened. Worried about his friend, Glenn hurried towards the front door and walked in, noting the stillness of the house. Usually it was filled with laughter but this time it wasn't.

Glenn walked into the kitchen, spotting Mark's bag on the counter. He walked over and hadn't noticed the note until he stepped up next to the bag. Picking up the note, Glenn read over the words, sighing gently at the end. So that's why Mark hadn't come. Glenn turned and looked around, not sure where Mark would have gone. He had to be here somewhere though he realized. He headed towards the back of the house where the bedroom was, checking most of the rooms as he went. As he neared the bedroom though, he heard a soft noise, almost like a sniffle. He frowned lightly as he stepped into the door frame.

There, sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, was Mark. Glenn walked over silently and sat next to Mark, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and letting the older man cry against him. No words were spoken, there was no need. The Deadman was, for once, acting like a human.

« _Last Edit:_ Oct 20, 2009, 6:42pm by **Candy** »


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: It's taken me a tad bit longer than I would have liked to get this chapter out, but here it is. I own no one, by the way, Vincent Kennedy McMahon does.**

As the days wore on, Glenn began to worry more and more about Mark. He hadn't seen the many this down in years. After Sara walked on him and Glenn had persuaded Mark to come back, Mark had become more distant with the others than he had ever done before. Even Glenn was finding it hard to get Mark to speak to him. The others noticed the change in Mark, and questioned it to Glenn whenever they got the chance. Glenn couldn't bring himself to tell them exactly why Mark was so down. He had promised Mark he wouldn't breathe a word about it to anyone in fear of the media getting their hands on the news and making it seem worse than it truly was.

One afternoon a few weeks after the incident, Glenn was walking to the men's locker room when he noticed a small group of wrestlers standing outside the door, one of them banging on it. Glenn walked over to them, catching small statements like 'I can't believe he locked us out!' and 'What is his damn problem anyways?' He walked up to the group, and crossed his arms over his chest, clearing his throat as he did. The group of them jumped and turned, glad it was only Glenn.

"Jeez Glenn, you nearly gave us a heart attack," stated Phil Brooks as he held his hand over his heart, feeling the pounding of it beneath his hand. Glenn glanced over at him before looking at the rest of them, curiosity burning inside of him.

"What's going on?" he questioned, looking from one face to the next. They seemed to avoid his gaze, looking at each other or at the floor instead. Glenn stepped closer to them, clearing his throat once more. "I believe I just asked a question. I would like to hear the answer now," he continued on, pressuring them more into answering.

"Mark's locked the door, he won't let anyone in." answered Matt Hardy, his hand still raised to the door. It was him that Glenn had seen knocking at the door. Glenn looked over at him then at the door. He waved the others away and then stepped in front of the door. He raised his hand and knocked a few times at the door, then started pounding when he got no answer.

"Damn it Mark, open the damn door!" shouted Glenn, his annoyance level increasing drastically. He could hear shuffling on the other side of the door, and then it opened. Unfortunately, it opened long enough for Mark to throw everyone's bags out before slamming the door shut once more, locking it again. Glenn groaned, rubbing his head where a bag had come into contact with it.

"What's his problem anyways? It's not we are the ones to blame for his sudden mood change!" said Drew McIntrye, his accent covering his words heavily. The others looked at him for a moment or two before figuring out what he just said.

"Don't speak anymore Drew, we can't understand you," chimed in Chris Jericho, shoving Drew away from the group. Drew growled softly, but was pulled away from the group by Eric Escobar and a few others. The rest of the group grabbed their bags then walked away, leaving Glenn alone outside of the door. He turned his attention back to the door sighing once more as he knocked again.

"Come on Mark, it's only me now, open the door," he commented as he knocked, trying his best to get his friend to open the door already. He heard no movement though, so he gave up, figuring Mark would come to him if he needed him. Glenn grabbed his own bag and walked away, heading for the back entrance. He got into his rental car and drove to the hotel down the road where they were staying. He left the car and walked into the hotel, avoiding the few fans that were there before the show. He took the elevator up to the sixth floor then walked to the room he shared with Mark. He entered the room and shut the door behind him before walking to one of the beds and crashing onto it, falling asleep a few moments later.

That evening, Glenn was awoken by a smash of glass in the bathroom. He jumped off the bed as fast he could, and was just in time to see a black jacket whip out the door. Glenn walked to the bathroom and peaked in. The counter was littered with pieces of glass, and there was a large crack in the mirror about the size of Mark's fist. He sighed lightly and went back into the bedroom, gathering his things before leaving to head back to the arena. He was on his way there when he heard his phone ring. Reaching for it, Glenn managed to grab it while stopped at a red light.

"Hello," he answered into the phone, driving off once more. He could hear heavy breathing on the other side then a male voice.

"Hey Glenn, it's Phil. Um, Mark is kind of upset I think. He just smashed a few lockers and well now he's on his way to start his match and um, he said he's going to kill his opponent, literally. I'm not sure what the guy's problem is. Matt tried to talk to him but Mark threw him into one of the workers backstage, and well he did that to Chris and Drew as well. You better get down here before Mark gets fired," stated Phil's voice over the phone before the line went dead. Mentally cursing, Glenn hung up his phone, and pulled into the arena's parking garage. He parked and went inside with his bag, hurrying to the locker room.

Once there, he noticed that the lockers that Mark had smashed were those of the people that had been outside earlier that very day, including Glenn's. Groaning to himself, Glenn changed quickly into his wrestling attire then left to head towards the ring. Mark had a match tonight with Phil; there was no way Phil was going to be able to survive if Mark was really this bad. Glenn stopped short of gorilla position, his attention caught by a monitor. There, on the screen, was Mark holding a bloody and bruised Phil. The match hadn't even started and wasn't due to start for another five minutes according to his watch. Glenn stared in horror as Mark threw Phil into the mat then left the ring, his music blasting through the arena. There was no way that match was happening tonight, thought Glenn. He needed to find Mark and soon, or else Mark would have no job left to cling to.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. I own no one, Vince does.**

Glenn returned to the hotel room late that night, more exhausted than he was before he had left for the arena. Not only did he have a match against Mike Knox, but he also had to keep searching for Mark. Unfortunately, the second one was more exhausting than the rest. He had held his own well enough against Mike, and had managed to defeat him, but his quest to find Mark didn't go as well.

Sorer than he had been in years, Glenn walked into the bathroom of the hotel room, and took a long, hot shower. The repairman had come while they were gone and fixed the mirror, but Glenn still couldn't get the sound of that glass breaking out of his head from earlier. He couldn't even imagine why Mark had gone and done something like that. He knew Mark was upset, but going as drastic as breaking a mirror didn't seem like the best thing for him to do. Glenn didn't know what to do about his friend, he was lost and wasn't sure if he could even help his friend even if he knew how.

Turning off the water once it had chilled down, Glenn stepped out and got dressed for bed. He grumbled to himself though when he heard the phone ringing. He walked over to it, and picked it up, not really in the mood to talk to anyone. He froze though when he heard the all too familiar voice of Phil Brooks on the other end.

"Hey Glenn, I'm sorry to bother you after that grueling match earlier, but I have some bad news. Vince let Mark go for a few weeks to get his life back together, and well Mark didn't take that very well. Sure they wrote it out well in the storyline, but you know Mark. He doesn't like being taken out of work. Anyways, Glenn he got into an accident. He's in the hospital," said Phil, trailing off at the end. Glenn froze as those last few words echoed through his head. Mark was in the hospital? He couldn't believe it.

After asking for directions to the hospital, Glenn got dressed and hurried out of the hotel, practically running to his rental car. He climbed in and drove out of the parking lot, swerving around a few cars as he sped to the hospital, his mind going through many scenarios over how bad Mark could be. He pulled into the hospital's parking lot and walked inside, heading over to the front desk. He questioned for where Mark was, but they didn't have any information for him. He was about ready to reach out and choke the woman, when he heard someone calling his name.

Turning his head, Glenn spotted both Matt Hardy and Phil Brooks sitting in the waiting room. He walked over to them, and threw himself into a chair, hitting his hand against his head. He knew he should have kept looking for Mark. Maybe then Mark would be back at the hotel and not here in the hospital.

"Glenn it's not your fault," Matt said tentatively, looking over at the larger man next to him. He patted the guy on the arm, trying to comfort him as best as he could. He knew what it was like to worry over a close friend when they were in the hospital. He had gone through it a lot with his brother.

"What happened to him?" questioned Glenn, pulling his hand away from his head and looking at the two of them. They looked at each other as if saying to the other to tell him instead, but Phil sighed, giving up.

"He wasn't exactly talkative, but he stormed out of the arena after what Vince told him, and we guessed he was heading to the hotel. He was one stop light away from the arena when a truck ran a red light and hit him. They say the driver was drunk, but I'm not really surprised. Anyways, they haven't told us how Mark is yet and we've been here for almost half an hour now," answered Phil, trying his best to make it not seem all that bad, but he knew it was. At least Mark hadn't been killed, or was he? They didn't know, no one was telling them anything. Glenn sighed after Phil explained and lowered his head into his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. Matt and Phil didn't know what to say to help him, so they sat next to him, waiting anxiously to hear about Mark's condition.

Later, around three in the morning, Glenn was awoken by Phil shaking him. He grumbled softly, raising his head from Matt's shoulder where it had fallen earlier in the evening. He stretched his limbs, and then looked over at Phil, giving him a curious look as to why he had woken him.

"They gave me some news on Mark. He's in stable condition right now, but the hit to the side of the car gave him a few broken ribs and a broken arm. He's in his room now, and they said we can go see him if we want, but one at a time so I figured you'd want to go first," explained Phil, smiling faintly at Glenn. Glenn let his tired mind process what Phil said, then stood from his seat, walking to the front desk. He asked what room Mark was in, forgetting to have asked Phil.

"He's in room 11," said the lady behind the desk, smiling at him. Glenn nodded his head then walked through the door to find Mark's room. It took a few minutes, but he managed to find the room at the end of the hall. He took a deep breath first, and then opened the door, slowly walking into the room. He shut the door behind him, and looked at his best friend as he lay in the hospital bed. He stepped up to the side, looking down at Mark.

After all of the years the two of them had been together as friends, Glenn had never seen Mark this bad. He stared down at him, taking in his appearance. Aside from the usual dark eye liner around his eyes, Mark's eyes were darker than normal, but Glenn could still see the hurt residing in them. His skin was paler than normal, but Glenn didn't question any of that. He was just grateful that Mark was okay. Mark looked up at Glenn after a few minutes, sighing faintly.

"Hey Glenn," he said, his voice rough from not using it for so long. He raised his hand and wrapped it around Glenn's, holding his friend's hand tightly. Glenn looked down at their hands then over at Mark, smiling faintly at the older man.

"How are you feeling?" asked Glenn, not really sure what more to say. He had a feeling he knew partially how Mark was feeling, but he felt better if he had told him himself. Mark shrugged in response, wincing when the pain hurt his left arm and side. Glenn frowned, sighing once more. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again," he commented, then left the room briefly. He told the other two they could go back to the hotel to get some sleep, then returned to Mark's room. He settled himself into a chair and stayed there the entire night, staying true to his word long after both had fallen asleep.


End file.
